The Royal Rumble Changes Everything!

The NFL has a playoff system that leads to the SuperBowl.  The WWE has the Royal Rumble that leads to Wrestlemania.  It’s a chance for everything in WWE to change in one night.  Fans can really “expect the unexpected.  It’s the match that allows a new course, a new direction to be set.  Everything that makes wrestling amazing in one match.

My love affair with the Royal Rumble started when I saw it live for the first time.  In the winter of 1994 during my freshman year at Emerson College, I boarded a Greyhound bus with another passionate wrestling fan Chris Garcia and went from Boston to Providence, Rhode Island to see the Royal Rumble.  On that night, Owen Hart turned his back on his brother Bret, The Undertaker rose to the heavens after being destroyed by every bad guy on the roster, and a controversial decision in the Royal Rumble match left Bret Hart and Lex Luger “co-winners”.  Here we are nearly seventeen years later, I still remember three important things from that event.   It changed everything that year and set the tone for the WWE in 1994.

Eleven years later, I was lucky enough to be on the other side of the curtain.   And witnessed the power of the event and how everything in the WWE changed again.  I recently spoke about this event in detail with John Pollock of the LAW.  Hear it here.  The event featured one of the more unique commercials in WWE history.  Production note – the only superstar who didn’t wear a wig in the shoot was JBL.

This was a time back when certain things remained special in the company.  The Royal Rumble was one of the events that Smackdown and Raw talent could interact.  This is an example of that interaction when John Cena crossed paths with Christian.

The fate of the WWE for the remainder of the decade was shaped in one match.  You might call it hyperbole, but look at some of these things that happened during that match.

1. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.

Just a year after they both ascended to the top in WWE to stand in the middle of the ring as champions at Wrestlemania 20, they started this Rumble match.  It was an interesting idea that was exciting to the fan in me because the year before Benoit had lasted the whole Rumble to win.  Both had so much to prove to get back to the mountain top.  It was a great story and started the match beautifully.  Sadly we know the reality that happened in the future and how tragic it became.

2. Edge’s ascension

Edge broke through in 2005/2006.  Winning Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 21 and then cashing it to kick off 2006.  He caused an immediate spike in ratings and became a top guy.  But it was here in this Royal Rumble match that he eliminated the most superstars and started his career year with a bang.

3. Cena and Batista

When WWE decides to go with a guy and stick with them, it usually pays off huge.  In 2005, WWE decided to captain both of its brands with two heros. RAW was going to be led by Batista who the fans were clamoring to break away from Triple H.  Smackdown was going to be led by the brash anti-hero John Cena.  This Royal Rumble match was to crown one of them and stamp his ticket to Wrestlemania.   Later that year, when UPN decided to switch Smackdown to Fridays a decision was made to switch John Cena and Batista on their respective brands.  They would both be “the man” but just in new homes.

But on this night, a late decision was made to have these two face off as the last two men in the match.  Could it split the audience?  Was it the best thing?  It was a moment though.

4. Mr. McMahon

The moment between Bastista and Cena lead to an appearance from Mr. McMahon.  This was supposed to be Batista’s night.  Speculation has it that Batista had his bell rung by a punch by Cena and when he went to throw out Cena, they both tumbled to the floor causing chaos. The PPV time window was expiring quickly.  There was a call for either Eric Bischoff or Teddy Long, the respective GMs, to go out and restart the match but due to the size of the arena in Fresno they were not close enough.  Vince McMahon got up from the production table where he had sat for nearly three hours.

We all had stopped and looked at the screen not knowing what had happened; I don’t think we were alone with anyone watching that day.  He hadn’t stretched, he hadn’t warmed up.  And here he sat in the middle of the ring; the main event of Wrestlemania hanging in the balance and time ticking down on the broadcast.  From that position, Vince McMahon was able to render his decision for the live house and restart the match.  Batista quickly threw Cena out of the ring to make sure the audience at home saw the conclusion.  But what the audience didn’t see was Vince McMahon, full of pride, walk to backstage area.

Vince had torn both of his quads and in an instant was gone from the on-site WWE creative process.    Stephanie McMahon,  with no warning and her mind on her father, had to jump right in.  The next day, we produced the first WWE Supershow without him and then boarded a plane to Japan where WWE taped television for the first time ever. It was the fast-forward button on a time when WWE would exist without Vince McMahon.  Six years later, people still speculate when that will be and what will happen.

The Royal Rumble can truly change the course for the WWE.  I’m excited to watch the event on Sunday.  I’d love to hear more examples of Rumbles in the past that changed the course of WWE.

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